Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger.Larkin, Colin. The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Guinness, page 1818, (1995) – As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tuba and flugelhorn.
Biography Early life and career Locksley Wellington Hampton was born on April 21, 1932, in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. Laura and Clarke "Deacon" Hampton raised 12 children, taught them how to play musical instruments and set out with them as a family band. The family first came to Indianapolis in 1938. The Hamptons were a very musical family in which mother, father, eight brothers, and four sisters, all played instruments. His sisters included Dawn Hampton and Virtue Hampton Whitted. Slide Hampton is one of the few left-handed trombone players. As a child, Hampton was given the trombone set up to play left-handed, or backwards; and as no one ever dissuaded him, he continued to play this way.
At the age of 12, Slide played in his family's Indianapolis jazz band, The Duke Hampton Band. By 1952, at the age of 20, he was performing at Carnegie Hall with the Lionel Hampton Band. He played with the Buddy Johnson's R&B band from 1955 to 1956, then became a member of Maynard Ferguson's band (1957–1959), where he played and arranged, providing excitement on such popular tunes as "The Fugue," "Three Little Foxes" and "Slide's Derangement." While with the Ferguson band he composed and arranged memorable charts such as "Frame For the Blues," "Go East Young Man," "Newport," Sometimes I Feel Lika A Motherless Child," "Ole" and "'Round Midnight." In 1958, he recorded with trombone masters on the classic release of Melba Liston, Melba Liston and Her 'Bones. As his reputation grew, he soon began working with bands led by Art Blakey, Tadd Dameron, Barry Harris, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, and Max Roach, contributing both original compositions and arrangements. In 1962, he formed the Slide Hampton Octet, with horn players Freddie Hubbard, and George Coleman. The band toured the U.S. and Europe and recorded on several labels.
From 1968 In 1968, he toured with Woody Herman's orchestra, settling in Europe where he remained until 1977. He taught at Harvard, artist-in-residence in 1981, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, De Paul University, and Indiana State University. During this period he led World of Trombones, his own nine-trombone, three-rhythm band; co-led Continuum, a quintet with Jimmy Heath that plays the music of Tadd Dameron; and freelanced as a writer and a player. He also played the trombone in Diana Ross Live! The Lady Sings... Jazz & Blues: Stolen Moments (1992), DVD.
On June 4, 2006, Hampton and long time manager and writing partner Anthony-charles:Bey promoted his first self funded concert at The Tribeca PAC in New York City (a tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim) and debuted the Slide Hampton™ Ultra-Big Band. The concert was the first of many planned for the near future.
In 2009, Hampton completed four new compositions collectively titled "A Tribute to African-American Greatness". The songs honored Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Barack Obama. The songs contained accompanying lyrics written by Hampton and manager/writing partner Anthony-charles:Bey, arrangements honoring Thelonious Monk, Thad Jones, Eddie Harris, Dexter Gordon and Gil Evans round out the program. He completed two new Big Band arrangements – "In Case of Emergency" and "The Drum Song" (both Hampton originals). These two songs (and others) will be available exclusively to universities and other educational institutions through Slide Hampton™ Musique/Music Publishing-in-trust.
Hampton was a resident of Orange, New Jersey.Stewart, Zan, "The State of Jazz: Meet 40 More Jersey Greats", The Star-Ledger, September 28, 2003, backed up by the Internet Archive as of September 27, 2008. Accessed September 15, 2017. "Slide Hampton -- A resident of East Orange, Hampton is one of the premier trombonists and arrangers in modern jazz." He died on November 18, 2021, at the age of 89.
Awards and honors In 1998, he won a Grammy Award for "Best Jazz Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)", as arranger for "Cotton Tail" performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater. He was also a Grammy winner in 2005 for "Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album," The Way: Music of Slide Hampton, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (Planet Arts), and received another nomination in 2006 for his arrangement of "Stardust" for the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band.
In 2005 Hampton was honored at the jazz festival in Indianapolis. There the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation inducted him into their Hall of Fame.Indianapolis Jazz Foundation honors Slide Hampton
In 2005, the National Endowment for the Arts honored Slide Hampton with its highest honor in jazz, the NEA Jazz Masters Award.
Discography As leader YearTitleLabelNotes1959Slide Hampton and His Horn of PlentyStrand1960Sister SalvationAtlantic1960Somethin' SanctifiedAtlantic1961Two Sides of Slide HamptonCharlie Parker1962Jazz with a TwistAtlantic1962Drum SuiteEpic1962Explosion! The Sound of Slide HamptonAtlantic1962ExodusPhilips1965Harold Betters Meets Slide HamptonGateway1968Mellow-dyLRCReleased in 19921968Slide Hampton Big BandBarclay1968Back to JazzEMI1969The Fabulous Slide Hampton QuartetPathé1969A Day in CopenhagenMPSWith Dexter Gordon1970Umeå Big Band & Slide Hampton in MontreuxGazellWith Umeå Big Band1971Trombone WorkshopMPSWith Albert Mangelsdorff, Åke Persson & Jiggs Whigham1972Life MusicCarosello1972Jazz a Confronto 18HoroWith Dusko Goykovich1972Euro JazzSupraphonWith Václav Zahradník1974Give Me a DoubleMPSWith Joe Haider1979World of TrombonesWest 541984Art Farmer & Slide Hampton in ConcertEnjaWith Art Farmer1984Cees Slinger-Slide Hampton Quintet in ConcertVara JazzWith Cees Slinger1985RootsCriss CrossWith Clifford Jordan 1993Dedicated to DizTelarc1997Jazz MatineeHänssler ClassicWith SWR Big Band1998InclusionTwin2002Slide Plays JobimAlleycat Productions2002Spirit of the HornMCG Jazz2002Americans Swinging in ParisEMI2005Mellow-DyLRC Ltd.2006The Cloister SuiteGryphon2008The Whit Williams "Now's The Time" Big BandMAMA2011Two Sides of Slide HamptonHallmark2011Essential Jazz MastersStardust2012Happy PointJazz Room2012Explosion!Hallmark2013Charlie Parker Records: The Complete Collection, Vol. 5Universal Remasterings2014Drum Suite Parts I, II, II, IV & V (Bonus Track Version)The Jazz Corner2016Complete Studio Recordings by the Slide Hampton Octet (Bonus Track Version)Jazz Lovers2016Sister Salvation + Explosion! (Bonus Track Version)Treasury Jazz
As arranger With Junior Cook Good Cookin' (Muse, 1979) - also composer and performer With Maynard Ferguson A Message from Newport (Roulette, 1958) – also composer and performer Swingin' My Way Through College (Roulette, 1959) – also performer Maynard Ferguson Plays Jazz for Dancing (Roulette, 1959) – also performer Newport Suite (Roulette, 1960) – also composer Let's Face the Music and Dance (Roulette, 1960) – also performer Maynard '61 (Roulette, 1961) – also composer and performer Maynard '62 (Roulette, 1962) – also composer and performer Maynard '64 (Roulette 1959-62 ) – also performer [1 track] With Dexter Gordon Sophisticated Giant (Columbia, 1977) – also composer and performer With J. J. Johnson Goodies (RCA Victor, 1965) With Melba Liston Melba Liston and Her 'Bones (MetroJazz, 1958) - also performer
As sideman With Nat Adderley Much Brass (Riverside, 1959) With Art Blakey Killer Joe (Union Jazz, 1981) – with George Kawaguchi With Robin Eubanks Different Perspectives (JMT, 1989) With Maynard Ferguson Ridin' High (Enterprise, 1967) With Art Farmer The Meaning of Art (Arabesque, 1995) as arranger and performer With Curtis Fuller Two Bones (Blue Note, 1958 ) With Dizzy Gillespie Live at the Royal Festival Hall (Enja, 1989) With Bill Hardman Home (Muse, 1978) Focus (Muse, 1980 ) With Barry Harris Luminescence! (Prestige, 1967) With Louis Hayes The Real Thing (Muse, 1977) With Philly Joe Jones Advance! (Galaxy, 1978) as arranger and performer Drum Song (Galaxy, 1978 ) as arranger and performer With Sam Jones Changes & Things (Xanadu, 1977) Something in Common (Muse, 1977) With Hank Mobley The Flip (Blue Note, 1970) With Charles Mingus Mingus Revisited (1960) With Mark Murphy
Satisfaction Guaranteed (Muse, 1980)
With Oliver Nelson Berlin Dialogue for Orchestra (Flying Dutchman, 1970) With Claudio Roditi Claudio! (Uptown, 1985) With Rob Schneiderman New Outlook (Reservoir, 1988) With Woody Shaw The Woody Shaw Concert Ensemble at the Berliner Jazztage (Muse, 1976) With McCoy Tyner 13th House (Milestone, 1981) Turning Point (Birdology, 1992) Journey (Birdology, 1993) With Randy Weston Destry Rides Again (United Artists, 1959) Uhuru Afrika (Roulette, 1960)
References
External links Slide Hampton discography at JazzDiscography.com
Slide Hampton at The Trombone Page of the World